NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Deer River, MN
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Deer River, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 13
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Deer River
The strongest of the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 5, 1991; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 13, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2022. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Deer River. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 25 times since 1976, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Deer River.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Deer River
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s4
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s3
- 1970s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 1991 | F2 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF1 | 2 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2013 | EF1 | 21 mi | 12.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1993 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1987 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 1985 | F1 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 1982 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1976 | F1 | 13 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF0 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 2017 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 2017 | EF0 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 2017 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Deer River
The Storm Prediction Center has 25 hail reports within 10 miles of Deer River since 1976, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 1, 2002. The most recent report is from June 12, 2024. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Deer River
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pokegama Dam, MN, 15 miles southeast of Deer River at 1,280 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and -3°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 27.7 inches over 59 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 185 nights a year. That 27.7 inches is more than at 27 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (22%). Grand Rapids, 18 miles southeast, has its own station (Grand Rpds Forest Lab, MN): 29.4 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | -3 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 24 | 1 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 37 | 14 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Apr | 50 | 29 | 1.8 | 4 |
| May | 65 | 41 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Jun | 73 | 52 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 78 | 57 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 76 | 55 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 68 | 46 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 52 | 34 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 36 | 20 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Dec | 23 | 5 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Year | 50 | 29 | 27.7 | 59 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pokegama Dam, MN (1,280 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Deer River
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 30 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Deer River: 29 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 25, 1999.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Itasca County, which includes Deer River, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Itasca County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.4 million a year, the 18th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.1 million (45%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Deer River
- Cohasset, MN13 mi
- Grand Rapids, MN18 mi
- Bovey, MN21 mi
- Nashwauk, MN32 mi
- Cass Lake, MN35 mi
- Walker, MN38 mi
- Blackduck, MN40 mi
- Hibbing, MN42 mi
- Chisholm, MN46 mi
- Laporte, MN47 mi
- Bemidji, MN49 mi
- Backus, MN49 mi
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